There is no better place in Moscow to enjoy the colorful fall foliage than Kuzminki Park in the city's southeastern reaches. The road there leads through typical Soviet apartment blocks, but when you reach the park and walk down its alleys, you'll feel transported back in time to the early 19th century, when this estate was a center of Moscow's high society.At the heart of the Upper Park, on a broad square, you'll find griffins guarding the entrance to what was once a luxurious manor house. The magnificent Church of the Vlakhernskaya Icon of the Mother of God greets you with its gleaming white walls, bell tower and golden cupolas.
UNESCO has recognized the Kuzminki Estate as the third-finest Russian country estate, and names it one of the world's top 10 estate parks. Kuzminki celebrates its 300th anniversary next year.
In 1960, Kuzminki Park was annexed by the city of Moscow. But the history of this place extends back into the misty reaches of time. On the edge of the current wooded park, on the banks of Letnikovoye Lake, archaeologists have found the remains of a settlement from the 12th century. Beginning in the 15th century, this area belonged to the Simonovsky Monastery.
The history of the Kuzminki Estate itself began in 1702, when Peter the Great confiscated this land from the Simonovsky Monastery and bestowed it on one of his favorites, the wealthy merchant and manufacturer Grigory Stroganov. The gift signified the tsar's recognition of Stroganov's "loyal service and aid in equipping the fleet and the army."
Stroganov soon began construction of a country estate. In 1716, a wooden church was raised to house the family's most sacred object, the Vlakhernskaya Icon of the Mother of God. Legend has it that the icon was created on the banks of the Bosporus, in a place called Vlakhernaya. This ancient icon was believed to work miracles. In 1654, the Patriarch of Constantinople presented the icon to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The original icon was placed in the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral. But as with any revered icon, copies were made. One of the three extant copies was acquired by the Stroganov family in the early 17th century, and housed at Kuzminki. From 1716, the church, the village, and the state itself were known informally as Vlakhernskoye.
That first church soon burned down, as did a second, built in 1732. In 1757, the Kuzminki Estate became the property of the Golitsyn family, when it was included in the dowry of Anna Stroganova for her marriage to Mikhail Golitsyn. Only in 1762 did Golitsyn build a stone church on the estate, designed by Ivan Zherebtsov.
Architect Matvei Kazakov, a father of Russian neoclassicism, renovated the church from 1794-98 in the new style, with Tuscan porticos and a round skylight in the dome.
During the Soviet era the church shared the fate of many religious buildings, said Alexander Serzhantov, a specialist at the Museum of Russian Estate Culture, which is housed in Kuzminki Park in the former servants' wing of the manor house. In 1929, the church was closed and converted first into a public guest house, then into a dormitory. Later, the Church of the Vlakhernskaya Icon of the Mother of God became a bus station with a drivers' canteen. As a result, the church was largely destroyed.
Serzhantov said that the church and bell tower were rebuilt in 1995 under the guidance of Yelena Vorontsova.
Not far from the church, behind the magnificent iron gates and a moat, now filled with flowers and green grass, stands the manor house. Or rather, what's left of it. The house burned down in 1916. Only one wing remains. Rather than rebuild the house, the Soviets built the Institute of Experimental Veterinary Medicine on the spot. It is now common to see advertisements offering veterinary services and a cat-and-dog hospital at the Kuzminki Estate.
Kuzminki enjoyed its heyday during the residence of Sergei Golitsyn (1774-1859). After 1812, the famous architect Domenico Gillardi built the manor house, the music pavilion and the Pomerantsev orangerie.
By the mid-19th century Kuzminki had become one of the most celebrated estates near Moscow. The grandeur of the place was captured in engravings by Johann Rauch, who lived here in the 1840s. Various royals visited the estate over the years, including Peter the Great and Maria Fyodorovna.
The year 1873 was fateful for Kuzminki. The estate's owner, Prince Sergei Golitsyn (1843-1915), left his wife for a young beauty named Yelizaveta Nikitina and settled on another estate near Moscow, Dubrovitsy. All the former glamour of life at Kuzminki went with him.
Kuzminki Park today is a favorite place for Muscovites to stroll or have a picnic. In addition to its architectural treasures, the park boasts gorgeous scenery and a system of ponds. Just a minute's walk from the manor house gates you'll find an unforgettable view. Fountains shoot from the surface of the Upper Pond. On the far bank, before the arched form of the music pavilion, you'll see statues of two horse tamers tussling with rearing steeds.
A small dam blocks the flow of water from the pond, creating a waterfall that courses beneath a bridge, built in 1847-48. The bridge is currently undergoing renovation. Legend has it that this dam on the Upper Pond was built on the spot where a lonely mill stood in the 15th and 16th centuries on the Churilikhi River. The miller's name was Kuzma, and in time his name extended to the whole area, Kuzminki. Alexander Serzhantov said that tours of the estate start from the former site of Kuzma's mill.
Groups of 15 or more can arrange walking tours when they arrive at the park. But if you come to the park alone, you'll have to book a tour in advance. Serzhantov said jokingly, however, that nothing prevents the particularly avid park visitor from acting like a "new Russian" and paying for several tickets at once to make up a virtual group. Serzhantov said that boat and bicycle tours are available for groups at least through the end of October.
Next to the dam, renovation work is underway on the most recent structure at Kuzminki, the "House on the Dam," which was designed by Mikhail Bykovsky in 1843-44.
As you proceed down the gravel path from the dam, you'll see the courtyard of the stables, adorned with flower beds, benches and weeping willows that bend over the water. At the focal point of the semi-circular stable building stands the music pavilion. This past summer the stable complex and its flower beds played host to Moscow's first festival of flower arranging. The stables are one of the estate's most interesting structures. They were built by Gillardi in 1819-23. The music pavilion's most impressive feature is the monumental arch in the center with its colonnade and sculptures. If you've been to St. Petersburg, you might recognize the iron statues of the horse tamers, erected in 1846. These are copies of famous statues by Pyotr Klodt, which stand on the Anichkovy Bridge in the northern capital.
The music pavilion is a masterpiece of the Empire style, which succeeded neoclassicism in Russia. Gillardi built the open pavilion out of wood in order to produce the best possible acoustics. After a fire in 1978, the pavilion was restored with acoustics in mind. Music played in the pavilion resonates throughout the park.
Nearby you'll find another notable architectural ensemble -- the former cattle yard, built in a neo-Gothic style from red brick with white stone Gothic details.
Despite a long period of decline at the Kuzminki Estate marked by neglect and fire, today things are looking up, and plans are being made for the future. Not all of these plans are terribly practical, however. The newspaper Novaya Melnitsa recently reported that "it had been suggested to restore the bathhouse [destroyed by fire in the 1990s] of S.M. Golitsyn and to open a banya for VIPs."
Kuzminki Park is located just south of Volgogradsky Prospekt in southeast Moscow. It is bordered by Ulitsa Chugunnye Vorota, Ulitsa Topolevaya Alleya and Kuzminskaya Ulitsa. Metro Ryazansky Prospekt or Kuzminki.
UNESCO has recognized the Kuzminki Estate as the third-finest Russian country estate, and names it one of the world's top 10 estate parks. Kuzminki celebrates its 300th anniversary next year.
In 1960, Kuzminki Park was annexed by the city of Moscow. But the history of this place extends back into the misty reaches of time. On the edge of the current wooded park, on the banks of Letnikovoye Lake, archaeologists have found the remains of a settlement from the 12th century. Beginning in the 15th century, this area belonged to the Simonovsky Monastery.
The history of the Kuzminki Estate itself began in 1702, when Peter the Great confiscated this land from the Simonovsky Monastery and bestowed it on one of his favorites, the wealthy merchant and manufacturer Grigory Stroganov. The gift signified the tsar's recognition of Stroganov's "loyal service and aid in equipping the fleet and the army."
Stroganov soon began construction of a country estate. In 1716, a wooden church was raised to house the family's most sacred object, the Vlakhernskaya Icon of the Mother of God. Legend has it that the icon was created on the banks of the Bosporus, in a place called Vlakhernaya. This ancient icon was believed to work miracles. In 1654, the Patriarch of Constantinople presented the icon to Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. The original icon was placed in the Kremlin's Assumption Cathedral. But as with any revered icon, copies were made. One of the three extant copies was acquired by the Stroganov family in the early 17th century, and housed at Kuzminki. From 1716, the church, the village, and the state itself were known informally as Vlakhernskoye.
That first church soon burned down, as did a second, built in 1732. In 1757, the Kuzminki Estate became the property of the Golitsyn family, when it was included in the dowry of Anna Stroganova for her marriage to Mikhail Golitsyn. Only in 1762 did Golitsyn build a stone church on the estate, designed by Ivan Zherebtsov.
Architect Matvei Kazakov, a father of Russian neoclassicism, renovated the church from 1794-98 in the new style, with Tuscan porticos and a round skylight in the dome.
During the Soviet era the church shared the fate of many religious buildings, said Alexander Serzhantov, a specialist at the Museum of Russian Estate Culture, which is housed in Kuzminki Park in the former servants' wing of the manor house. In 1929, the church was closed and converted first into a public guest house, then into a dormitory. Later, the Church of the Vlakhernskaya Icon of the Mother of God became a bus station with a drivers' canteen. As a result, the church was largely destroyed.
Serzhantov said that the church and bell tower were rebuilt in 1995 under the guidance of Yelena Vorontsova.
Not far from the church, behind the magnificent iron gates and a moat, now filled with flowers and green grass, stands the manor house. Or rather, what's left of it. The house burned down in 1916. Only one wing remains. Rather than rebuild the house, the Soviets built the Institute of Experimental Veterinary Medicine on the spot. It is now common to see advertisements offering veterinary services and a cat-and-dog hospital at the Kuzminki Estate.
Kuzminki enjoyed its heyday during the residence of Sergei Golitsyn (1774-1859). After 1812, the famous architect Domenico Gillardi built the manor house, the music pavilion and the Pomerantsev orangerie.
By the mid-19th century Kuzminki had become one of the most celebrated estates near Moscow. The grandeur of the place was captured in engravings by Johann Rauch, who lived here in the 1840s. Various royals visited the estate over the years, including Peter the Great and Maria Fyodorovna.
The year 1873 was fateful for Kuzminki. The estate's owner, Prince Sergei Golitsyn (1843-1915), left his wife for a young beauty named Yelizaveta Nikitina and settled on another estate near Moscow, Dubrovitsy. All the former glamour of life at Kuzminki went with him.
Kuzminki Park today is a favorite place for Muscovites to stroll or have a picnic. In addition to its architectural treasures, the park boasts gorgeous scenery and a system of ponds. Just a minute's walk from the manor house gates you'll find an unforgettable view. Fountains shoot from the surface of the Upper Pond. On the far bank, before the arched form of the music pavilion, you'll see statues of two horse tamers tussling with rearing steeds.
A small dam blocks the flow of water from the pond, creating a waterfall that courses beneath a bridge, built in 1847-48. The bridge is currently undergoing renovation. Legend has it that this dam on the Upper Pond was built on the spot where a lonely mill stood in the 15th and 16th centuries on the Churilikhi River. The miller's name was Kuzma, and in time his name extended to the whole area, Kuzminki. Alexander Serzhantov said that tours of the estate start from the former site of Kuzma's mill.
Groups of 15 or more can arrange walking tours when they arrive at the park. But if you come to the park alone, you'll have to book a tour in advance. Serzhantov said jokingly, however, that nothing prevents the particularly avid park visitor from acting like a "new Russian" and paying for several tickets at once to make up a virtual group. Serzhantov said that boat and bicycle tours are available for groups at least through the end of October.
Next to the dam, renovation work is underway on the most recent structure at Kuzminki, the "House on the Dam," which was designed by Mikhail Bykovsky in 1843-44.
As you proceed down the gravel path from the dam, you'll see the courtyard of the stables, adorned with flower beds, benches and weeping willows that bend over the water. At the focal point of the semi-circular stable building stands the music pavilion. This past summer the stable complex and its flower beds played host to Moscow's first festival of flower arranging. The stables are one of the estate's most interesting structures. They were built by Gillardi in 1819-23. The music pavilion's most impressive feature is the monumental arch in the center with its colonnade and sculptures. If you've been to St. Petersburg, you might recognize the iron statues of the horse tamers, erected in 1846. These are copies of famous statues by Pyotr Klodt, which stand on the Anichkovy Bridge in the northern capital.
The music pavilion is a masterpiece of the Empire style, which succeeded neoclassicism in Russia. Gillardi built the open pavilion out of wood in order to produce the best possible acoustics. After a fire in 1978, the pavilion was restored with acoustics in mind. Music played in the pavilion resonates throughout the park.
Nearby you'll find another notable architectural ensemble -- the former cattle yard, built in a neo-Gothic style from red brick with white stone Gothic details.
Despite a long period of decline at the Kuzminki Estate marked by neglect and fire, today things are looking up, and plans are being made for the future. Not all of these plans are terribly practical, however. The newspaper Novaya Melnitsa recently reported that "it had been suggested to restore the bathhouse [destroyed by fire in the 1990s] of S.M. Golitsyn and to open a banya for VIPs."
Kuzminki Park is located just south of Volgogradsky Prospekt in southeast Moscow. It is bordered by Ulitsa Chugunnye Vorota, Ulitsa Topolevaya Alleya and Kuzminskaya Ulitsa. Metro Ryazansky Prospekt or Kuzminki.